Russet sentinel. Perched on the shoulder of time.

Standing quietly. Frozen forever in selfies, on cell phones, on cameras. Capturing the echoes of hundreds of stomping feet and wide smiles.

We pay homage with images. A bit of majesty in our pockets, for our walls.

But it looms largest in memory.

As short as it is dramatic, during this hike you will travel 3 miles total over slickrock with slight elevation gain before ending up at the arch.

There are some drop-offs, and very little solitude. We hiked to the arch starting at 7:30am, but by the time we headed back, there was a single file line of people marching their way up the trail like gortex clad ants.

Bring water, sun protection and something to take photos with. (Photographers, get ready to be creative and time your shots for when people aren’t standing in the arch).

For an unobstructed view, you can take a photo from the south side of the arch, people seemed nervous about the incline, but it’s not bad if you have good boots on. 

Here’s the backside of the Arch. It looked very stark against the azure sky. But it was nice to have a “private” moment with such a landmark.

Even though it’s so busy, this is a can’t miss hike in Arches!